The Circus of Life
by AkaMoonSugar
Summary: 5 UP! A young girl wanders a colony alone, scared, confused... With no memories of her past, she seeks refuge from her chaotic exsistence by looking for a job with a traveling circus. A tall, brown-haired teenage boy is immediately drawn to her. Now what?
1. No Memories

I want to see which of my new one-shots gets the most reviews... I really like the direction this one goes in... Tell me what you think!!! Email at akamoonsugar@yahoo.com or REVIEW!!! Please!!! It only takes a minute... Thanks!  
  
The Circus of Life  
  
Trowa Barton made his way out into the view of the audience, wearing his clown mask and baggy clown-like pants. He paid the announcer no attention as the small man ran through his usual speech, introducing Catherine and himself.  
  
He bowed to Catherine and walked over to the large wooden wheel, where the costume-clad girl tied his hands and feet in place. If, for some reason, Trowa needed to get out of the way, he still could. But he trusted his sister. He always had. He quickly did his usual scan of the front rows of the audience, settling his gaze on a small blonde girl in the front.  
  
Trowa fell into a state of near unconsiousness as Catherine went through her entire set of elegantly carved knives, throwing them all at him, but never hitting him. He blinked slightly as one embedded itself only a centimeter or two from his head.  
  
A few hours earlier...  
  
A young-looking girl was walking down the side of a road. All day she had been fending off male drivers who yelled obsene and discusting things at her. Sometimes just telling them to leave several times worked, other times she ran off into the trees nearby until the car left. She was tired and hungry, and had only a little money.  
  
This young blonde girl looked innocent enough, and in a way, she was. She had lost all her memories. One day, she awoke in a dumpster in an alley on the L1 colony, covered in blood and clutching a small wad of money in her hand. That was three months ago. She had managed to survive on the money she had for the time, but now it was almost gone. She was trying to find a job- something simple, unpersonal, so no one would question her past. She had quickly discovered that she was very strong, and was good at lifting heavy things. She hoped that would help her. She had spent some of the last of her money on semi-new clothes- before, she had worn the same thing for the whole six months. She now wore a pair of tight-fitting black stretch pants, a tight black stretch tank top, and tennis shoes. The entire outfit had cost her only a few dollars.  
  
She sighed as she made her way off the side of the road, heading towards a large group of tents and cars off in a field nearby. Her long blonde hair swayed a bit in the breeze, blowing wisps of the silver-gold waves into her eyes. She had tied it back with a piece of black string, but it still annoyed her.  
  
'One of these days,' she thought, 'I'm going to hack it all off.' She smiled slightly as she made her way to the entrance.  
  
"Young miss!" a man called to her as she began to walk inside the main tent. She looked up at him- she was shorter than most, about 5'5''. "Do you have a ticket?" he asked. She looked up at him innocently.  
  
"Oops, I forgot." she said, and smiled. She turned and pretended to make her way to the brightly colored ticket booth. As soon as the man stopped watching her, she crept over to the side of the tent and pulled up the bottom lip of the tent. She easily slipped under the tarp, sneaking in to join the crowds of happy people. She made her way to the front and sat between a snoozing old lady and a hyperactive six year old. The first act she saw was a pair of acrobats. Then a man and a young woman came out into the spotlight in the center ring. The girl could see a wooden wall being set up behind them as the announcer introduced them. She watched the entire show, staring at the seemingly one-eyed boy the whole time. When he left the stage, her attention faltered, and she watched the rest of the show half-heartedly.  
  
Sooner than she thought, the show was over, and the crowds filtered out. Soon, she was the only one of the audience left. She saw as men came out and began to move everything out of the tents and into large trucks. Silently she waited, watching to see who was in charge and perhaps offer her service. So still and intent was she on her observations that she didn't even notice as a tall boy approached her.  
  
(AN: Okay, I'm only referring to her as 'she' and 'the girl' because she... oh, nevermind, you'll see in just a minute!!!)  
  
Trowa approached the blonde goddess slowly. He had caught her gaze during his act and was interested in her.  
  
"Why are you still here? The shows ended an hour ago." Trowa said. She looked up.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I'm just-" she stopped. He watched her.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"I'm really just looking for a job." she told him. He managed not to let his surprise show on his face.  
  
"Circus training takes a long time... But I know who you need to talk to if you're serious. What act?" he asked, talking a bit more than usual. She shook her head slightly at his words.  
  
"Not an act, really- I was going to ask for a meal a day and a bed at night in exchange for moving, lifting, or carrying anything that needs to be." she nodded towards the guys who were still clearing the rings. "Like them." Trowa blinked slightly. This small girl? Lift and carry the stuff that they used, some of which weighed more than 400 pounds.  
  
"..." Obviously his silence spoke for his thoughts.  
  
"I am pretty strong." the girl said meekly. Trowa stood, bringing her to her feet with him.  
  
"By the way, my name's Trowa Barton. What's yours?" he asked, curious as to this young girl and her situation. The girl paused before answering.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
  
  
LIKE I SAID, REVIEW!!!! REVIEW!!!! REVIEW!!!! REVIEW!!!! 


	2. The New Girl

Gomen for this taking so long to get out! I've been out of town and been writing on different stories… But, like I said in the author's notes in another story, it's summer now! So we all have more time to write, right? Anyways, I don't own SM or GW. Wish I did though! Please, review if you want more! OR you can email me at akamoonsugar@yahoo.com. Ja ne!  
  
  
  
"I don't know." she said. This time he couldn't control it; his visible eye widened. He sat back down, and she did the same.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's true, honest!" the girl said meekly. When asked to explain, she did. Smiling the entire time, she told him everything she had done in the six months since she awoke.  
  
Trowa shook his head slightly when she ended her story. It was incredible that this tiny little girl had gone through so much... Almost too unbelievable, but her eyes showed that she was telling the truth. Trowa had an immense desire to protect her, to make sure she never had to go through any more pain.  
  
"Well, that's all over now." he swore. She looked up at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tell you what-" Trowa began. "You can stay here- or should I say, with me. But you need a name..." he trailed off, examining her. She giggled slightly as he ruffled her hair, a grin on his face that would make Hiiro blush. "Megami." She pondered a moment. "It means 'goddess'." he supplied. Her face teased him.  
  
"I know Japanese!" she cried indignantly. He grinned back, then grabbed her hand and began to walk out towards his sister's trailer. Catherine looked up at them as Trowa opened the metal door.  
  
"Trowa! Where have you-" she cut off as Megami came into the trailer behind him.  
  
"Been?" she finished, giving Trowa a questioning look over Megami's head. "Hi." she greeted, standing and extending her hand to the shorter girl. "I'm Catherine." Megami grasped Catherine's hand firmly.  
  
"I'm Megami." she said, smiling.  
  
"Megami is going to be staying with us for awhile, Catherine. I was going to take her to talk to Jalke, but you know how he is. Can you help her get freshened up?" Trowa asked his sister. She nodded, and walked into another room of the fairly large trailer. In the brief moment she was gone, Trowa whispered quickly Megami.  
  
"Don't let her in on your past yet, Megami. I'll tell you why later."  
  
"I trust you, Trowa." Megami whispered back as Catherine called for her and she walked to the doorway where Trowa's sister was waiting.  
  
A short while later, Megami emerged from the bathroom. She still wore her black clothes, but it was obvious she had washed her face and combed her hair. Catherine had experimented with her hair and had put it up in two meatball-like balls with long streamers coming out that reached her calves. (AN: At least now you all know who it is!)  
  
Trowa smiled at Catherine and then at Megami. He took her hand and led her out of the trailer. Megami was surprised to find herself holding his hand, and turned to say goodbye to Catherine. When she twisted around, she saw an almost jealous expression on Catherine's face. She carefully stored the look away in the corner of her mind, deciding she would give it more thought later.  
  
Megami didn't really watch what was going on around her as Trowa led her through the semi-crowded campsite. When Trowa stopped moving, she snapped back to the present and saw a man struggling with a heavy wooden block. Thinking this was the reason Trowa stopped, and not noticing the other man that he was talking to, she grabbed a corner of the block and steadied it. The man, thinking he must have set it down on something, let go. Megami strained under the pressure and had to quickly re-balance to stay on her feet, but promptly had it under control and was fine. The three men gawked at her.  
  
"Jalke, this is Megami." Trowa introduced. The man who had originally been holding the block began to apologize profusely, but was swiftly silenced by the ringmaster and owner, Jalke. Megami set the block down gently on the ground.  
  
"Nice to meet you." she greeted, and shook his outstretched hand. He smiled at her.  
  
"So, Trowa, you were saying?" Jalke asked, continuing their conversation. Trowa grinned at her.  
  
"I was just going to tell you that Megami will be staying with Catherine and I, and she might be interested in working here." Jalke nodded.  
  
"What act would she like to be in? Acrobat? Horseback? Lion tamer?" he finished with a slight chuckle. Megami shook her head.  
  
"Actually I just wanted to help move stuff, like this block." she told him, and watched as his eyes grew wider.  
  
"Why don't you watch the practices for awhile and see what you like. Meanwhile, have Trowa give you a tour…" he trailed off, watching someone in the distance. "Please excuse me." he said as he briskly walked off. Megami turned to Trowa.  
  
"So, you want a tour?" Trowa asked, and, seeing her nod, took her hand and led her off again. For a few hours they just wandered the fairgrounds, hand in hand. As the sun began to go down, the two were lying on a hillside. Megami, happy that she had finally found a friend, fell asleep sitting up. Her body wavered and keeled over, Megami's head landing on Trowa's thigh. Her face was towards him, and she tucked her hand under her head. She smiled slightly in her sleep, giving her the appearance of a child. Wondering exactly how old she was, Trowa caressed her hair and face softly, smiling as he did so. The pink and red light of the setting sun bathed them both in a slight warmth. In her sleep, Megami reached out to hold his hand, which he complied with gladly.  
  
They sat like that for about an hour. Finally, just as the sun completely disappeared, Trowa kissed her on the cheek, and then moved to wake her up. Megami sat up and stretched, and smiled at the older boy.  
  
"Arigato for letting me sleep, Trowa." she said. He smiled back at her.  
  
"No problem. We should probably be heading back now." she nodded, and accepted his hand to help her up. She brushed off her backside and followed him back to his trailer. When they arrived, Catherine had changed out of her costume into a pair of sweatpants, and had taken her hair down. She was listening to the radio and reading, and greeted them with a smile when they came in.  
  
"Hey you two!" Catherine exclaimed, putting her bookmark in place and then standing up to greet them. "There's some food in the kitchenette for you. I already ate, so help yourselves." They did, and then said good-bye to Catherine and left to go to Trowa's trailer, which was slightly nicer. They were lounging around, and Trowa began to answer Megami's questions about circus life.  
  
"What do you do around here for fun when you're not working?" Megami asked.  
  
"A lot of the time we're on the road, and some of the younger kids play some really juvenile games, but they're funny to watch. When we're camped out like we are now, we just hang around and work on our acts." She smiled at him.  
  
"Can I watch tomorrow?" Megami asked. A small smile tugged at the corner of Trowa's mouth, and he reassured her that she could go anywhere she wanted. She yawned and looked at the clock. They had been talking for several hours.  
  
"Tired?" Trowa asked. She nodded, yawning again. "Come on." he said, and led her into the bedroom at the back of the trailer. He gave her some of his clothes, and she went in the bathroom to change. When she emerged, wearing a 'long' shirt that came down to her mid-thigh, he had taken one of the pillows off the queen-sized bed, and had grabbed a blanket out of one of the closets. She walked over to him and tried to take the things from him.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked, slightly amused. She looked confused.  
  
"I'm going to sleep on the couch." she told him, trying to pull the pillow and the blanket out of his hands.  
  
"Nope, you're sleeping in here. I'm sleeping on the couch."  
  
"No, I'M sleeping on the couch and YOU'RE sleeping in here."  
  
"NO, I'm sleeping on the couch and YOU'RE sleeping in here."  
  
"Look, why don't we alternate every night or something?" Megami suggested. An almost evil grin spread across Trowa's face for an instant before disappearing completely.  
  
"What was that look all about? Do you have a better idea?" she asked, smiling.  
  
"It's a queen-size anyway, why don't we just share?" Trowa offered. She blushed a deep pink, and all Trowa could think about was how cute she looked when she blushed.  
  
"Yeah, okay... I guess." Megami said. Then she remembered something. "What about Catherine? Won't she mind? I mean, you two are... aren't you?" she finished, more confused then when she had started. Trowa laughed slightly.  
  
"Are what, Megami? We are brother and sister, if that's what you mean. But somehow, I don't think you meant that." She mentally smacked herself.  
  
"Oh, see, I thought that you were-"  
  
"A couple?" Trowa supplied. She nodded, and he shook his head.  
  
"Nope, just siblings and really good friends." Trowa said, retreating into the bathroom to change. He emerged wearing a pair of black boxers and a grey tank-top. (Drool. Down Trowa fans!)  
  
Megami blushed once more, and climbed into the bed, laying very close to the edge of the left side. Trowa raised an eyebrow at this and then climbed on the other side.  
  
"I don't bite, you know. You can have a little more room." he told her. She scooted about two inches nearer to him. He smiled at her, and then reached over and grabbed her by the waist. Trowa pulled her close to him. Her cheeks burned, and she smiled up at him.  
  
"Comfy?" he asked, amused. She didn't have enough strength to answer, and her eyelids dropped shut as she fell asleep. In her sleep, she put her head on his washboard stomach, resting one hand on his chest, the other was tucked under her cheek. He fell asleep awhile later with one hand in her hair, the other resting on her back, rubbing it gently.  
  
~~~~Megami's Dream~~~~  
  
"U$@&#!" A man yelled at her. She spun around.  
  
"What do you want?!" she demanded.  
  
"You have to help! You have to finish!" the man, who she couldn't see, told her.  
  
"What do you mean?! WHO AM I?!" she yelled back desperately.  
  
"You have to... You just have to!" he replied.  
  
"Every night I have this dream, and evey day it hurts to wake up! WHO AM I?" she screamed once more.  
  
"You have to remember! You have to finish! Stay close with 03! STAY WITH THE PILOT!" the man told her, his voice echoing throughout the void.  
  
"What? 03?! Pilot?! PLEASE! Just tell me who I AM!!" Megami begged.  
  
"U$@&#, just REMEMBER! They're looking for you! Both sides! Don't let the wrong side find you! Stay with 03! Stay with the pilot! Promise me you'll stay with him!"  
  
"I don't know any pilots! Who's 03?-" she was cut off.  
  
"PROMISE!" he exploded. Her eyes widened.  
  
"HAI! I promise!" she said. "Just tell me how to remember!! I want to know who I am! Please, tell me!" she begged, tears coursing down her cheeks.  
  
"I can't tell you, U$@&#. You can find the way. Stay with 03! Stay with the pilot!" That was the last thing she heard before feeling the normal pain of waking up. Trowa was shaking her. She cringed and doubled over in pain. Trowa had awoken when she had began pounding on his stomach and the bed with her fists. He had watched, amazed and frightened as tears streaked her face and she cried out in her sleep. When she began to rock back and forth and twitch uncontrollably, he began to shake her.  
  
"03.... Pilot....." she mumbled, the only phrase he could hear. Trowa drew back a little, shocked. Deciding to wonder about this later, he continued to try to wake her. When he finally saw her eyes open, they were filled with pain that no one like her should ever have to go through. She ran into the bathroom and stood bent over the toilet. She coughed up blood several times as Trowa rubbed her back.  
  
'There is so much more to her than I thought.' Trowa pondered the girl silently. Soon she wiped her mouth on some toilet paper and flushed it all away.  
  
"Gomen." she said, not meeting his eyes. Nearly in shock, he led her back out to the bedroom. "Megami?" he asked. She nodded, still not meeting his eyes. "What was that all about? Did you have a bad dream?" She nodded again. He caught her chin and lifted it to look her in the eye.  
  
"Hai." she said, trying to avert her gaze. "I have the same one every night." Concern crossed Trowa's face.  
  
"Do you always wake up in that much pain, coughing up blood?" he asked, a slight joking tone in his voice. She nodded again.  
  
"Sometimes it's worse." she told him. He shook his head. Then he remembered what she had said in her subconsious state of frenzy.  
  
"What was it about?" he asked. She sighed.  
  
"It's always the same- I'm standing in a black void, and there's this man there, except I can't see him. I can only hear him, and he screams at me over and over again about 'remembering', 'finishing', and something about '03' and a pilot. He calls me by a name I can't hear or understand, and I yell at him to tell me who I am, and he just keeps going on about '03' and this pilot. I still don't know what he means, though. Six months and I still can't figure it out." she sighed again, and flopped down on her back on the bed. She only stayed there a moment before she was asleep again. Still shocked, Trowa bent down and pulled the covers back over her and knelt for a moment by her side.  
  
He ran his index finger over her lips, feeling the softness. Like rose petals, he thought. He kissed them gently, and wiped all traces of tears from her small face. Then he stood and walked out of the room, grabbing his laptop on the way. He had to get in touch with the other pilots. This was weird. 


	3. Questions

No major suspense, sorry!  
  
Bunny-Butler: Cool! We watched that in Spanish class! The Circus (not even going to try and spell it) is awesome, though the guy that juggled the six balls that was wearing next to nothing kinda freaked the guys out. Email me! (akamoonsugar@yahoo.com).  
  
Everyone, please, read, enjoy, and REVIEW if you want any more!!! Thanks... see ya at the end!  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
He began to type quickly.  
  
To: Hiiro, Quatre, Wufei, Duo From: Trowa Subject: Megami Message: There's this girl that came to the circus today. She has no memories past 6 months ago, and doesn't know her birth name. She's staying here for awhile. Tonight, though, she was obviously having a nightmare. She was tossing and turning and crying out about a 'pilot', '03', a 'promise', and awoke coughing up blood. She says she's had the same one every night since she can remember.' Trowa continued with Megami's description of her dream.  
  
Hoping the other pilots wouldn't find the usually quiet teenager as being insane or even worse- lovestruck, he clicked the 'send' button and watched the animated letter disappear from his screen. He sat, unmoving, for an hour or so before he sighed and headed back into his trailer.  
  
He was relieved to see that Usagi was sleeping peacefully. He briefly wondered what she was dreaming about before he climbed in the bed and wrapped the blankets around them. Megami moved closer to him in her sleep, and he allowed a small smile to cross his face as he drifted off to sleep.  
  
Megami awoke early in the morning. Glancing at the small window, she saw that the sun was only just beginning to rise. She lifted herself up on her elbows, trying not to wake Trowa as she looked at his face.  
  
'He is so kind.' she thought, smiling. 'He's not one of those sick guys who try to take you in just to screw you. He's nice enough to share everything he has. And he's so cute!' Then her mind wandered, and a few minutes later she found herself wondering whether or not Trowa had two eyes, and she decided she would find out later. Suddenly the phrase 'love at first sight' popped into her train of thought, and she nodded to herself.  
  
'That is exactly what it was for me. Look at this! Only known the guy a few hours and we're already sharing a bed. Not in the sexual sense, but still...' she spent the next few minutes simply looking at his face. A small frown was spread across his face, and his bangs rose and fell with his breathing. Megami traced her fingers over his lips, and a she smiled. She secretly longed to feel how soft his kisses could be, not to mention how passionate.  
  
She kissed his cheek, and watched with delight as the frown disappeared. Content and still tired, she put her head down and went back to sleep.  
  
Trowa opened his eyes as the sun's rays fell across his face. He looked down and saw Megami curled up against his side, her hand resting on his abs. Moving with the stealth of the Gundam pilot he was, he carefully left the bed to take a shower. A little while later, he came out of the bathroom, a towel hanging off his hips, showing his lean but not overdone muscles. Water still dripped off his hair and down his body. His eyes snapped to Megami as he walked back in the bedroom. The shirt he had given her barely covered her underwear, and she didn't realize it, but she was sitting in a position that made Trowa feel like running back in the bathroom and taking a nice, cold shower.  
  
Likewise, Megami happened to glance up as Trowa entered the room. She had woken up only a few moments ago, and was mid-stretch when the brunette boy came back. Her eyes widened and she felt a blush rising in her cheeks as she froze. She watched the water dripping down him, and saw the hairless but muscled chest and stomach, and his six-pack abs. (Anime sweatdrop... dang! Trowa hot!)  
  
At the same moment they both noticed the other watching them. Megami blushed even more and pulled her shirt down, eventually just hiding herself with the blankets. Trowa averted his eyes and snatched his clothes up from the dresser.  
  
"Gomen ne." he said several times before retreating into the bathroom again to get dressed. When he came out, he sat down near her and began to pull on his shoes.  
  
"Uh-" he stuttered for perhaps the first time in his life. "The- uh- the shower's all yours, if you want to." he said, beckoning her to the door. She thanked him and accepted the towel he offered, then went into the bathroom. Moments later he heard the shower turning on, and forced his mind not to think of the silver-blonde goddess in his shower. He pulled out his laptop and went to check his mail.  
  
The corner of his mouth twitched as he saw that he had recieved four replies. He opened each one and read them quickly.  
  
===========================================  
  
That was not supposed to be a cliffhanger, I just didn't have a better place to stop. Gomen ne, and come back soon! Review, please! 


	4. Megami, Meet the Pilots

EEEPPP!!! It's been soooo long since I updated this fic, gosh I'm ashamed! I last updated in June of 2002! That was like, last year! Oh well, here it is: the (hopefully) long-awaited fourth chapter of The Circus of Life! Please RxR, it makes my day and I'd like to know that someone out there still reads this occasionally!  
  
  
  
To: Trowa  
From: Quatre  
Subject: Megami  
  
Message: Be kind to her, Trowa! I can sense something, but I can't tell what, exactly. If it's alright with the others, bring her to meet us, or at least to meet me. Let me know where you are and I'll come and stay nearby. Oh, and be alert for new missions. I'm on Earth right now. Duo's staying here with me. Heero and Wufei are both on L3, staying in my mansion there. Contact us soon.  
  
  
To: Trowa  
From: Duo  
Subject: is she hot???  
  
Message: Aw, man! you didn't give us any details about her! come on, bring her down here to see us! is she hot? have you kissed her? is she single? put on the news or something mentioning the gundams and see if she freaks out. it doesn't look like she knows who you are. i'd bet you need to keep it that way, unless you want perfect-soldier boy there to kill you. see ya later! tell her i said hi!  
  
  
To: Trowa  
From: Wufei  
Subject: Baka!  
  
Message: You have taken in a baka onna? That was a very stupid thing to do. And she knows who you are?! I'm surprised Yui hasn't killed you yet. If she sees your Gundam or knows who you are, she must be eliminated. Immediately. And Barton- don't fall for any of those women's tricks. They are all weak.  
  
  
To: Trowa  
From: Heero  
Subject: none  
  
Message: If she knows your identity, kill her. We will all be on L1 soon. Stay there.  
  
  
  
Trowa smiled inside. Each of his friends were truely unique. He should have anicipated their answers- Quatre was concerned with both Megami and Trowa, Duo was interested in Megami's looks, though he did show some intelligence, Wufei called her weak and thought of her as a distraction, and Heero was... simply Heero. Just as he shut down his computer, Megami came out of the bathroom. Somehow, her hair was dry, and she was wrapped in a towel that was just a little too short. Trowa looked away quickly- not because he wanted to, just for decency. Megami grabbed her clothes and changed quickly, then re-emerged and bounced happily on the bed.  
  
"So what are we going to do today, Bang-man?" she asked, grinning as she watched his reaction to her new nickname for him.  
  
"Bang- Bangman?!" he sputtered.  
  
"Yeah! I found an old comic book in a telephone booth that featured Batman, so I decided to twist it a bit and I got Bang-man. Don't you like it?" Megami asked, doing her best impression of a sad puppy.  
  
'God she's good at that.' Trowa thought.  
  
"Course I like it. As for your earlier question, I'm going to make breakfast and then I have to go and practice with Catherine. You're welcome to come and watch, or you can wander around and watch other people." he said, getting up and stretching before heading out of the small bedroom.  
  
  
  
Megami plopped onto the couch. She had been trying to help Trowa but had ended up tripping him when he had coffee in his hands.  
  
"I don't know how you can banish me from the kitchen when it's so close from anywhere I go!" she informed him idignantly. He rolled his eye. (An: Yes, his EYE. Singular. Uno. Not dos, Uno. *Anime Sweatdrop* Yeash!)  
  
"Maybe Wufei's right." he muttered.  
  
"Who's Wufei?" Megami immediately asked. Trowa mentally sweatdropped.  
  
"He's one of my... friends." he said carefully. She noticed the way he said it, but did not comment.  
  
"Cool! You must have a lot of friends!" she exclaimed, sitting down at the table/booth thing. Her smile turned upside down when he replied.  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Why does it matter?!" he snapped. Seeing the look of hurt in her eyes, he immediately regretted saying it like he had.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's really none of my business anyway." she babbled. He sighed slightly as he set a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her.  
  
"It's alright. I have four friends, at least I think they're friends. Wufei's one of them, and there's also Duo, Quatre, and Heero." Trowa explained.  
  
"Would you mind telling me about them? I don't know anyone, 'cept you now, but before yesterday I didn't know anybody." Megami quickly added onto her question after the man across from her had shot her a strange look.  
  
"Alright... Wufei is Chinese, and thinks all women are weak. Justice means a great deal to him. Duo has too much energy and too little to direct it at. He's American and loves playing pranks on people." Here Trowa shuddered inwardly, thinking about the last time Duo had played one of his pranks on the banged boy. What had resulted was a very angry Trowa that had so much SuperGlue in his hair that he couldn't get his bangs down, instead they were in a mohawk for two weeks, and Duo's braid had barely survived. Quickly he realized Megami was waiting to hear about the other two.  
  
"Quatre is Arabian and very peace-loving, though he understands the need for war. He's an empathy, and is very kind. Heero, well, he's Japanese and.... That's about it. It's hard to explain about him, but you'll understand when you meet him."  
  
"When I meet him?"  
  
'Dammit I meant to say 'if' she met him. Damn!' Trowa thought.  
  
"Yeah... I emailed Quatre to ask him if he could run a DNA test on your blood to figure out your real name. I think he told the others. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"Course not! You're friends sound really nice." she assured him. He mentally chuckled when he realized how much she was going to eat her words. Speaking of eating...  
  
"You haven't touched your eggs." he noted.  
  
"Gomen, Trowa. I didn't mean to offend your cooking-"  
  
"How can you, you haven't tried it yet."  
  
"-BUT I'm not used to eating in the morning." she finished, not looking at him.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"See I only had so much money and so I got used to eating something at least semi-filling at midday, and maybe having a cracker or something at night and just drinking water inbetween." Megami tried to explain, still not meeting his gaze.  
  
"Is that why you're so tiny?" he asked, trying to get her to lighten up a bit so that she would A: answer more of his questions and B: not drop into depression.  
  
'A Gundam pilot knows how to interrogate his prisoner.' A voice in the back of his mind said. Mentally, Trowa punched the voice and got back to reality.  
  
She giggled slightly, and then lifted her shirt a bit, showing off her lean, muscular stomach. She tried to pinch up some fat, but couldn't find any to pinch.  
  
"Guess you're right." she joked before digging in to her eggs. Trowa forced his jaw not to drop- she ate like Duo, only worse.  
  
When they were finished, Trowa stuck the dishes in the dishwasher and then they headed out, locking the trailer door behind them.  
  
Megami followed, looking around her in awe at everything that was going on. Last night they had packed nearly everything away except the tents, but now it was all back out again.  
  
"Oooh Trowa I wanna go pet the elephant can I come watch you in a minute?" she asked. He nodded, and she kissed him quickly on the cheek before blushing and running away towards the elephants.  
  
"Hi!" she called to the man that stood with them. There were three elephants, all brownish/grey and HUGE.  
  
"Hello there. Sorry, but the shows and stuff doesn't start until the evening." he said, not reconizing her and therefore assuming she was a local girl.  
  
"Oh that's okay I'm staying with Trowa my name's Megami what's yours can I pet her?" she asked, all in one breath. It took the man a moment to comphrehend what she had said.  
  
"Oh, okay. My name's Jim." he replied. Megami walked up to the elephant that he held on a lead. She put her hand on its flank, and it turned it's head toward her.  
  
"His name's Zip." Jim told her.  
  
"Hi Zip!" she called up, afraid it wouldn't hear her. Jim chuckled.  
  
"Do you want to ride him?" he asked.  
  
"Ride- an ELEPHANT?" she responded. He nodded.  
  
"Uh no thanks I think I gotta be going now buh bye!" she called as she ran back towards the big tent. Jim shook his head in amusement; it wasn't as though he had asked her to chop off her arm or anything.  
  
  
  
"Hey Trowa!" Megami called as she entered the tent. Unfortuantly, he was at the opposite end and didn't hear her over the other conversations taking place. She shrugged and made her way down to where he was. He was sitting on a stool with his half-mask thing in his hand, glaring at it. His laptop sat open next to him.  
  
"What's the matter, Trowa?" she asked, standing in front of him.  
  
"My friends want me to take you to see them today." he replied.  
  
"Well what's wrong with that?" Megami questioned, confused. Trowa shrugged slightly.  
  
"Are you afraid that they won't like me?" she thought aloud. At this comment, Trowa stood up and grabbed her hand.  
  
"That's not it at all!" he said sternly. "I'm just afraid that they'll scare you."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We're a bit different from most guys our age." he clarified.  
  
"So? Come on, Trowa, let's go see them!" she exclaimed.  
  
"You really want to meet them?" he asked, incredulous.  
  
"Yes! Please?! Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty deep breath pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty please?" Meagmi begged. After a few more moments of thought, Trowa replied.  
  
"Fine." he walked over to Jalke.  
  
"I'm leaving." he announced.  
  
"What? When will you be back?" Jalke demanded. Trowa shrugged and walked away.  
  
"Won't you get fired?" Megami asked.  
  
"No." Trowa replied, not elaborating on the subject. They went back to the trailer, where Trowa threw some clothes into a bag. After telling Catherine that they were leaving, Trowa strapped his bag onto the back of his motorcycle and they took off. After an hour of riding, they pulled up in front of a huge mansion.  
  
"Whoah." Megami breathed, looking up at the imposing house.  
  
"This is Quatre's mansion." Trowa said, grabbing his bag and striding up to the front door. With a cool, calm confidence, he opened the door and went right in, with Megami right behind him.  
  
  
  
"Hello Trowa!" Quatre greeted as the two entered the living room where he, Wufei, and Heero sat. Megami was out of view, hidden behind the taller boy.  
  
"Hello Quatre. This is Megami." Trowa introduced, stepping to the side. All three sets of eyes bugged out. She was even more beautiful than they had imagined. Something rose in the back of Heero's mind, but he pushed it away.  
  
"Megami, this is Quatre Winner, Wufei Chang, and Heero Yui. Where's Duo?" he asked.  
  
"Asleep. It's nice to meet you, Megami." Quatre said, standing and extending his hand to her. She shook it.   
  
"Duo's the one you call 'braided baka', right?" Megami asked Trowa. Wufei cracked a smile.  
  
"Speak of the devil." the Chinede one said under his breath as Duo entered the room. He was dressed only in a pair of smiley-face boxers and an open black robe, and he was yawning and scratching his butt. As the yawn faded, he opened his eyes and saw Megami.  
  
"Holy crap!" he exclaimed, drawing his robe around him. "Quatre, why didn't you tell me your girlfriend was coming over?" Duo demanded. Quatre blushed about fifteen shades of red.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend, Duo." he replied. Duo's attitude immediately changed as he rushed to stand next to her.  
  
"Well then my I introduce myself to the only angel I've ever seen on Earth. I'm Duo Maxwell; what's your name babe?" he asked, putting his arm around her waist.  
  
"I'm Megami." she said, blushing even brighter than Quatre had. Seeing red with jealousy, Trowa shot Duo a death glare that could rival Heero's. Unfortuantly, Duo didn't catch the look.  
  
"Oh so you're Megami! It's great to meet you finally. Say, how would you like to go out later and see a movie?" he asked, moving in for the kill. Megami glanced at Trowa briefly and he gave her the slightest, unnoticable inclination of his head.  
  
"Okay, sure." she replied.  
  
"Great, we'll go out tonight then. See ya later!" Duo exclaimed, disappearing to get changed.  
  
'Of course she'd like him. They're exactly alike. I should have known that she'd find someone she liked more than me, but I didn't think it'd be so soon.' Trowa thought, sitting down on the couch. The others moved back to their original seats and Megami sat next to him. She frowned a little, as did Quatre.  
  
'Why does Trowa feel sad?' Quatre wondered, noticing that Megami seemed to be picking up on their friend's feelings too. He turned his attention to her, feeling with his empathy to determine her emotions. He felt a streak of worry and protectiveness run through his heart. Quatre's eyes snapped to her face. 'She wants to protect him?' Then he saw her eyes turn to him, and she nodded slightly. This confused him even more. 'Is she an empathy too?' he thought. Megami smiled a bit and tried to strike up conversation with Trowa.  
  
"Trowa, how long have you guys been friends?" Megami asked him. He shrugged a little, still feeling bitter about Duo's antics. Her smile fell.  
  
"Well how'd you guys meet?" she tried again. She got no reply. 'One last try.' she thought.  
  
"Is Duo really as annoying as all that?" Megami asked.  
  
"You ask too many questions." Trowa snapped, standing and leaving the room. Crushed, a tear welled up in Megami's eye. This did not go unnoticed by any of the others. Quatre shot Duo a look as he came back. The two communicated silently for a moment before Duo understood what Quatre wanted him to do.  
  
"Come on Megami! Let's go raid the fridge!" the braided one exclaimed, grabbing her hand and pulling her off the couch. Reluctantly she followed, cheering up a bit as she saw the five huge refridgerators lining the wall.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Quatre followed Trowa. He caught up with him on the balcony of Trowa's room.  
  
"Quatre." the taller boy said flatly, though he didn't turn from his position. Trowa leant on the balcony railing, staring out into the backyard.   
  
"Trowa, is there something you left out when you told us about Megami?" Quatre asked. Trowa tilted his head to look at the blonde Arabian.  
  
"Like what?" he returned.  
  
"Is she an empathy?"  
  
"How should I know?"  
  
"Nevermind. But, Trowa-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you like Megami? You were a little harsh back there."  
  
"I was not harsh. She was asking too many questions."  
  
"Strange how you skipped my question and went right to defending yourself. That's not like you, Trowa."  
  
"She has no effect on me."  
  
"Sure, Trowa, sure. If that's what you want to believe." With those last words, Quatre was gone. Alone, Trowa allowed himself a small sigh. 


	5. Hurt and Hurt Again

Welcome to chapter five! It's been awhile, ne? Anywho, thanks to these peoples:  
Heart Soul and Usagi Asia Maxwell- This is why I hate English. Thanks for the advice and I'll really try to work on my grammar and whatnot...  
Sailor Grape- So Trowa's OOC... Oh well! This is my fic! Who cares?! I always break the rules anyway!  
Tsuki Fa- Sorry if I got you grounded!   
Firefly-chan- Nope, I'm still writing! I don't have writer's block, it's just that I have TOO MANY ideas and it takes me forever to decide which ones to use! LOL, great problem, huh?  
  
You can stop scrolling down now...  
  
"Uggggh..." Duo moaned. "No more ice cream, please!"  
  
"You only had three bowls." Megami replied.  
  
"You didn't have any."  
  
"I'm not used to eating at this time of day."  
  
"Okkaaaayyy... You wanna go outside and play?"  
  
"No, that's okay. I'm just going to wander around for awhile."  
  
"Just look out for Heero. He's a little trigger-happy around strangers- hell, he's trigger-happy around everyone!"  
  
"Thanks for the advice." Megami laughed a little before leaving the kitchen. Soon she came to an eight-pointed star where eight hallways met.  
  
"Let's see... Eniee, meanie, minee, Mo!" she cried, racing down the chosen hallway. A few random turns later, she slowed and began walking at a leisurely pace, never noticing the shadow that followed her everywhere.   
  
A few hours later, Megami found herself at the center of another eight-point star. Now she was lost.  
  
"Ohhh crap...." she whined, sitting down in the center of the star. Carefully she retraced her steps mentally. Confident that she could find her way back, she stood and went back the way she came, this time opening doors along the way to see what the house was like. Too bad for her that she picked the wrong door to open. The room Megami saw was painted a dark blue that shimmered into black when the light hit it. Fascinated, she went in and began looking around. She was running her fingers along the wall when she heard a click and spun around. There Heero stood, gun calmly pointed at her with his right hand. She gulped.  
  
"What are you doing in my room?" Heero demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry I just wanted to look at the walls." Megami explained, heart racing as she stared at the emotionless eyes of the boy who held her at gunpoint.  
  
"You shouldn't be wandering around. You might get lost."  
  
"I can take care of myself!" she retorted.  
  
"Then why are you here?" Heero returned calmly. She was stunned by his logic. At her lack of answer, Heero took another step forward and pressed his gun to her temple.  
  
"Who are you and who do you work for?" he demanded in monotone. Her eyes widened slightly.  
  
"I'm Megami and I don't work for anyone, I swear!" she answered, wincing."Heero what the HELL do you think you're doing?!" Trowa practically screamed, entering the room and seeing his two friends.  
  
"She's hiding something Trowa. Don't be stupid." Heero said in monotone as Trowa moved to stand next to him.  
  
"Put the gun down, Yuy!" Trowa demanded.  
  
"Hn." Heero said, unmoving. Trowa whipped out his own gun and put it at Heero's temple. In one swift movement, Heero pulled out another gun and pointed it at Trowa. At that moment the other three pilots entered the room, immediately drawing their guns but confused as to who to aim at.  
  
"What's going on in here?" Duo asked. "And why are you guys about to shoot each other?"   
  
"Heero was about to shoot Megami." Trowa said. The three new guns were aimed at Heero.  
  
"She's hiding something. She must be eliminated." the Perfect Soldier clarifyed in monotone. The aims moved to Megami, making her wince even more.  
  
"Megami is there something you're not telling us?" Trowa asked, his eyes softening when he saw the frightened look in her eyes.  
  
"No!" she said, tears running down her face. "I was just looking around and I saw these walls and I wanted to look at them and then Heero was here and then you came and now I'm about to be shot! I survived six months on the streets and now I'm going to be shot by the only friend I've made so far." She added the last part almost in a whisper. Trowa's heart cracked. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him, seeing the anger in Heero's usually blank eyes.  
  
"Leave her alone Heero." Duo spoke up, not wanting to see two of his friends die. Slowly Heero lowered his guns and put them away. Stepping towards Megami, he lent down to whisper in her ear.  
  
"I'll be watching you very closely. And if I find out that you're working against us, omae o koruso." with that, he stormed from the room. Tears flowed from Megami's eyes.  
  
"Why doesn't he trust me, Trowa?" she asked. Trowa didn't answer, just stared down at her angrily and then left the room. She sank to the floor and sobbed harder. Wufei muttered something and followed Trowa as Quatre and Duo approached the crying girl.  
  
"Why don't any of you trust me?" Megami asked through her tears.  
  
"We've been raised not to trust anyone, Megami. A few of us were affected by it worse than others." Quatre tried to explain without telling her who they were.  
  
"I can't help that I don't know who I am! I can't help that I don't know anything about myself!" she cried, leaning into Duo's shoulder. He rubbed his hand up and down her back softly, trying to calm her. It worked.  
  
"I understand if you're not in the mood to see a movie tonight, Megami." Duo said softly. Quatre left to find Trowa again.  
  
"That's alright Duo, I'd still like to go with you. It's just... Trowa's like..." she sighed, frusterated that she couldn't communicate her emotions clearly.  
  
"You like Trowa already, don't you?" Duo asked sincerely. Megami smiled a bit.  
  
"You're so kind, Duo. You knew exactly what I was feeling. Like an older brother..." her smile spread across her face and she leaned forward to hug him.   
  
"So I'm your Onii-san?" Duo asked. She smiled even wider.  
  
"I'd love that." Megami replied.  
  
"You ready to go see that movie, then?" Duo asked.  
  
"Hai, yes please."  
  
"Oh come on girl, you can't go looking like that. Here-" he said, handing her a tissue. "Dry off your face." She took the tissue and complied, wiping all the remnants of tears from her porclain skin.  
  
"Ready to go, or do you want to change first?" Duo asked.  
  
"I'm ready..." Megami replied. "I just want to talk to Trowa really fast, if that's okay with you."  
  
"Sure, go ahead. I'll wait for you in the garage."  
  
  
  
Megami caught up with Trowa in his room. This time, he was on his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with his arms folded under his head.  
  
"Megami..." he groaned, before he realized she was there. Silently she snuck over to the side of the bed. In one swift move, she stradled his stomach and looked down at him.  
  
"Megami?!" Trowa cried, surprised. He sat up slightly, then immediately wished he hadn't. Megami slid down off his stomach and onto his pelvis. Trowa's eyes widened, hoping that she wasn't down far enough to feel what she was doing to him.   
  
"Trowa-chan I just wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have gone into Heero's room. More to the point, I shouldn't have come here. Thanks for everything, but I'll be leaving soon- you shouldn't have to take care of someone else." That said, she bent down and kissed his cheek sweetly, then quickly left the room. Trowa was speechless, and as the door shut behind her, a lone tear rolled down his cheek.  
  
"No Megami, don't leave..." he whispered, too late for her to hear. "I think I- I think I love you." Trowa choked out.  
  
  
  
"Did you talk to him?" Duo asked. Megami smiled and nodded, jumping into the black convertible Viper.  
  
"Okay, let's go!" he cried, pulling out of the driveway and onto the freeway. Megami squealed with delight as Duo drove faster and faster, weaving in and out of traffic, speeding at over 100 miles an hour. At that rate, it didn't take them long to pull up in front of the movie theater.  
  
"So what movie are we going to see?" Megami asked as they stood together in front of the ticket office.  
  
"How about that one?" Duo asked, pointing to a movie poster near them. Megami shuddered.  
  
"Can we see something a little less gruesome?" she asked.  
  
"How do you know it's going to be gruesome?" Duo retorted. She sighed.  
  
"It's called 'Gruesome Death 2'."  
  
"Oh. You've got a point there. How about that one?" he tried again.  
  
"That looks good." she replied. Duo bought their tickets and they made their way into the building.  
  
  
  
A man slipped out of the ticket booth into the small alleyway beside the theaters.  
  
"She's here." he said. A shadow moved, and then another, and soon ten men stood before him.  
  
"Orders?" one asked.  
  
"Get what we came for."  
  
  
  
"We've got awhile before the movie starts. Do you want to play some arcade games?" Duo asked as they passed one of the many small arcade rooms in the theater building.  
  
"Awesome!" she exclaimed, following the equally excited Duo into the room. They were the only ones there.  
  
"Wanna play airhockey?" Megami asked, standing at one end.  
  
"Great!" Duo replied, taking his place at the other. They had been playing for only a few minutes when Duo happened to glance up and see a shadow move behind her. His hand immediately went for his gun but before he could grab it there was a gun at his temple. At the same moment a man appeared at Megami's side and pressed his gun into her back.  
  
"Come on, let's go." he said in a low, smooth voice. Megami whimpered a little and began to move forward, with Duo following close behind. They left through the emergency exit in the back of the room, going out into an even darker alley. The man holding Duo handcuffed him to a dumpster and threw his gun into it.  
  
"Lie down." one man said to Megami. A gleam caught in her eye and she spun around, kicking the gun out of the man's hand and delivering a punch to the side of his neck that rendered him unconsious. Quickly more men moved in to take over and she was held down to the ground.  
  
"I told you to be calm, didn't I?" one man said. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Another man pulled out a small needle. Megami freaked out and struggled as he stabbed it into her arm, successfully drawing out a syringe full of the dark red substance. As soon as he put it safely in a case, he procured another, larger needle. Duo was screaming and fighting, trying desperately to pick the lock on the handcuffs. The men held her down tightly as he pressed it into the small of her back, crudely getting a syringe of her spinal fluid. Megami sobbed into the dark concrete as the pain overcame her, her face and body getting rubbed harshly into the pebbles and dirt that covered the road. When he was done, the man gave a signal to the others and they disappeared as quickly as they had come.  
  
"Duo!" Megami cried, unmoving, sure that they were gone.  
  
"Megami, are you okay?" Duo asked.  
  
"I can't move my legs." she replied.  
  
"Can you get yourself over here?" he questioned. She bit her already bleeding lip and nodded. Dragging herself with her arms she made it over to the braided one. Reaching into her hair, she handed him a hairpin and within moments he was free.  
  
"Dear shinigami!" Duo exclaimed, looking at the cuts where the needles had been put in. "This can't be a good thing. Let's get you home." He picked her up and carried her gently out to the car where he set her in the backseat, praying that the Trowa wouldn't kill him for not being able to protect her and praying that Heero wouldn't kill him for bringing her back.  
  
Duo: Uh-oh! Someone knows who she is!  
Aka: DUO! Shut up!  
Quatre: Please, not this again...  
Heero: Omae o kuroso.  
Wufei: mumblemutter...weak onna...mumblemutter...stupid antiviolence laws...grrr... 


End file.
